Vietnam has 150,000 new cancer patients a year

Vietnam has about 150,000 new cancer patients and 75,000 people die from cancer a year, making it a leading killer in Vietnam.

The figures were reported at a national conference on application of nuclear medicine in treatment of cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases held in Hanoi recently. The Bach Mai Hospital has joined hands with the Vietnam Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Association, the Vietnam Cancer Association and the Cardiovascular Association to organise the conference for Vietnamese and foreign experts and scientists to exchange experiences in nuclear medicine, particular SPECT and PET services.

President of the Vietnam Cardiovascular Association, Pham Gia Khai, said nuclear medicine has been applied in diagnosis of cardiovascular disease since October 1995 pioneered by Military Hospital 108. Since then, several other hospitals have followed suit, buying SPECT machines to improve the quality of medical treatment for patients.

The conference reported that PET/CT machines have been widely used in clinical diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular, neurological diseases and cancer.

The conference also discussed issues such as nuclear medicine in treatment of thyroid disease, development and training of nuclear medicine in Vietnam.-Enditem